Frankenstein

Frankenstein is arguably one of the most famous horror novels of all time. Published in march 1818, the book was received with controversy because of the book's scientific themes, which challenged religion, and some didn't like the fact that Mary Shelley, the author, was female.

The book opens with a series of letters from an explorer called Robert Walton, addressed to his sister. Walton is on a ship travelling to the north pole on an expedition. In the last letter the ship crashes, and the Walton spots a distant figure with a sled. They then find the figure and look after him. Walton begins to talk to the man and learns his story.

The man is Victor Frankenstein, a scientist from Geneva in Switzerland. Frankenstein gradually becomes obsessed with finding the secret to life, and eventually succeeds, creating a hideously disfigured creature, which is brought to life with a lightning bolt. The Monster is abandoned by Victor, who sees it as a disgusting creation, and this obviously leaves a lasting impact on the Creature.

The reader is enthralled in a tale filled with misery, scientific discovery and murder, as the characters experience all manner of awful things, such as execution, isolation and loss.

The book toys with the reader's emotions, as you initially find the monster to be - well, a monster - but chapter by chapter, the book u-turns, ducks and weaves through the plot, as the Monster shows how he developed, learning to speak, read, write and empathise with others.

To me at least, it is unclear who is the monster. Is it Victor, or the Creature, as both of them seem like awful people, but they had clear motives for doing all the evil that they did, and that is what makes this book so great. It makes the reader sympathise with clearly evil people, as they had good reasons for doing what they did. The Monster is a murderer, but he only committed the murders due to his rejection from society, his desire to be loved, and his hideous appearance.

Overall, I think this book is great and deserves its place among the greatest literary pieces of all time.

By Lewis Lister